City Palace towers over the Pichola
Lake. Maharana Uday Singh initiated in the construction of the
palace but succeeding Maharanas added several palaces and structures
to the complex retained a surprising uniformity to the design. The
entry to the Palace is from the Hati Pol, the Elephant gate.
The Bari Pol or the Big gate brings you to the Tripolia, the Triple
gate. It was once a custom that the Maharana would weigh under this
gate in gold and silver, which was distributed to the populace. It
is also now the main ticket office. Balconies, cupolas and towers
surmount the palace to give a wonderful view of the lake.
Suraj Gokhada or the balcony of the sun is where the Maharana would
grant public audiences mainly to boost the morale of the people in
difficult times. The Mor Chawk is the peacock square and gains its
name from the vivid blue mosaic in glass of a peacock that decorates
its walls.
The main part of the palace is now preserved as a museum displaying
a large and diverse array of artefacts. Down steps from the entrance
is the armoury museum exhibiting a huge collection of protective
gear, weapons including the lethal two-pronged sword. The City
Palace museum is then entered through the Ganesh Deori meaning the
door of Lord Ganesh.
This leads to the Rajya Angan, the royal courtyard that is the very
spot where Maharana Udai Singh met the sage who told him to find a
city here. The rooms of the palace are superbly decorated with
mirror tiles and paintings. Manak Mahal or the Ruby Palace has a
lovely collection of glass and mirror work while Krishna Vilas
display a rich collection of miniature paintings.
Moti Mahal or the pearl palace has beautiful mirror work and the
Chini Mahal has ornamental tiles all over. The Surya Chopar or the
sun square depicts a huge ornamental sun symbolising the sun dynasty
to which the Mewar dynasty belongs. The Bari Mahal is a central
garden with view of the city. Some more beautiful paintings can be
seen in the Zenana Mahal or the ladies chamber, which leads to
Lakshmi Chowk a beautiful white pavilion.
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Introduction
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